Yoga Medical Research
Impact Of Pranayama And Yoga On Lipid Profile In Normal Healthy Volunteers.
Journal of Exercise Physiology Online, 9, 1-6.
Access the full article for free at: http://www.unm.edu/~rrobergs/JEPonline/Feb06/February06.htm
Participants: 41 men and 23 women (ages 18-30 years) participating in a three months yoga certificate course at the Vemana Yoga Research Institute in Hyderabad, India. All volunteers were healthy, with no previous yoga experience.
Results: Women and men showed different metabolic responses to the pranayama and asana practices. However, in general, the responses of both women and men were positive (improvements/reductions in risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases). Men showed reduced levels of serum triglycerides and VLDL-cholesterol at the end of the first 30 days (pranayama practice only), and increased levels of HDL-cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) and free fatty acids at the end of both the first 30 days (pranayama practice only) and at the end of the 3-month session. There was no change in LDL-cholesterol. Women showed reduced levels of serum free fatty acids at the end of both the first 30 days (pranayama only) and the 3-month session, and also showed reduced levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and VLDL- cholesterol by the end of the 3-month session. There were no changes in HDL-cholesterol.
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